Evans, Gabrielle - Hell's Tempest [Fatefully Yours 4] (Siren Publishing LoveXtreme Forever ManLove) (4 page)

He looked up at Syx hopefully. Undeterred by the look of resignation on his mate’s face, Echo turned to Vapre. “Please?”

Vapre smiled indulgently and fished his cell phone out of his pocket. He pressed it into Echo’s palm and leaned over to kiss his forehead. “I don’t know if you’ll get an answer, but you call anytime you want.”

Rubbing his cheek against Vapre’s in gratitude, Echo flipped open the phone and scrolled through the call history, picking one of his demon’s numbers at random, and held the phone to his ear. His face lit up, hope settling in his heart when the phone began to ring.

Twice, three times, a fourth, and Echo began to deflate, his face falling in disappointment. Then in the middle of the fifth ring, a smooth voice drifted over the line, and Echo almost passed out in relief.

“Hey, baby.”

“Eyce,” Echo breathed. “Are you okay? Where are you? When are you coming home? Did you find the guys from the lab? How bad were they hurt? When are you coming home?”

Eyce’s low chuckle sent liquid heat coursing through Echo’s body, and he shivered visibly. “Calm down, love. Everyone is fine. We found the residents, and Hex healed them pretty quickly. We’re on our way home now, should be there in an hour or so. Can you guys start preparing for a few more guests?”

“Absolutely,” Echo answered as he pushed up from the cushions and began pacing the carpet between the sofa and the coffee table. “How many are coming?”

“Three. Mac says you know them. He and Sony are about to wet themselves, they’re so excited.”

“Who are they? Do you know their numbers?”

“Hold on.”

Echo could hear Eyce speaking to someone in the background, a couple of low chuckles, and then a high-pitched squeal. He jerked the phone away from his head and stared at it as though it had morally offended him. He only knew one person who screeched like that.

“Ninety-four,” he mumbled, a slow smile spreading across his face.

“Right,” Eyce responded, startling him. “Ninety-four, Eighty-eight, and Eighty-six.”

“They need names. I won’t call them by their numbers. That’s a life we all escaped, and I don’t want any traces of it in our home.”

“That’s a perfect idea, baby,” Eyce said softly. “You guys can discuss it when we get there, okay?”

“Okay.” Echo sighed, breathing deeply for the first time in days. “What took so long? Why are you just now coming home? Was there trouble?”

“Not exactly,” Eyce said evasively. “I’ll explain later.”

Echo understood that he wouldn’t get anything more from his mate. “Okay,” he repeated. “I’ll see everyone when you get home. Give the guys a big kiss from me, Vapre, and Syx.” He glanced over his shoulder to see the two demons on the couch beaming at him and nodding their heads. “Hurry home.”

“Be there soon. Miss you, Echo.” Eyce spoke so softly, Echo had to press the phone more firmly to his ear to hear him.

“Miss you, too,” he replied just as quietly. “I love you.”

“Love you, too, baby, and Fiero says ditto.”

“Ditto.” Echo wrapped his fingers around the tiny sapphire teardrop that hung around his neck like a lifeline, a link that would tether him to his mates no matter where they were. He felt the tears begin to prickle the corners of his eyes, and he had to swallow down the lump in his throat. “See you soon.” Then he hung up before his emotions could get the better of him.

He knew Syx had heard his entire end of the conversation through his telepathy. There was nothing Echo could do about that, and he wasn’t sure he would if he could. Without turning, he placed the phone gently on the coffee table and took a deep breath. It was time to get a couple of things out in the open. His men may not be ready to hear what he had to say, but he couldn’t keep going like this.

“I love you,” he said in a small voice. “Both of you—all of you—I love you so much that I think I’ll drown in it. I don’t expect you to say the words back yet. I understand if you need time to work through what you’re feeling, but I just thought you should know.”

Then without further comment or looking at his lovers, Echo strode from the room, through the kitchen, and right out the back door. He wasn’t running away, but he really needed to be alone for a while.

* * * *

“Did he just say…” Vapre trailed off, his eyes wide and his heart thundering inside his chest. Then he turned to glare at Syx accusingly. “You knew. You could have at least warned me.”

Syx smirked as his eyebrows disappeared under his hairline. “And what would you have done if I had? Hmm? Is there really a way to prepare for that?”

Shaking his head slowly, Vapre conceded the point. “Do you think he meant it?”

“I think Echo rarely says anything he doesn’t mean or hasn’t thought out very carefully.”

“I love him,” Vapre whispered, the full impact of the confession hitting him like an emotional wrecking ball. “I guess it took me a little while for my brain to catch up to what my heart has been trying to tell me from the beginning.”

“I know,” Syx whispered. “I love him, too.”

Steeling his resolve, Vapre shifted on the cushions to face Syx, reaching out to wind his fingers in the demon’s shirt and yank him forward. His lips hovered just a breath away from Syx’s as he stared into his lover’s eyes intently. “I love you, Syx. I always have. It just took Echo to open my eyes and make me admit it.”

Syx didn’t say a word, but his eyes softened, and he closed the paper-thin space between them, pressing his lips to Vapre’s in a slow, sensual kiss. He pulled back quickly, but the kiss was no less promising for its brevity. Syx rested their foreheads together and closed his eyes on a sigh. “Love you, Vapre. Love all of you, and I have for as long as I can remember. We’re warriors, though. We’re not supposed to feel these things.”

“Who said?” Vapre curled his fingers around the back of Syx’s neck, holding him in place. “It doesn’t change who we are.”

“Oh, yes it does,” Syx argued. He rolled his brow against Vapre’s and chuckled breathily. “It makes us better.”

“So, do we go tell Echo?”

“I gathered from his muddled thoughts that he really needs some time alone right now. He’s been hurting for days, worried that the others wouldn’t come back. We’ll tell him soon, though.”

Vapre released his hold on his lover and leaned away, nodding his understanding. “So, what do we do now?”

Syx pecked Vapre’s cheek and stood, holding a hand out to help Vapre up as well. “Well, we promised Echo that we would get Syn and Jinx moved into a room by the end of the week.” His eyes darted to the large clock over the mantle of the fireplace. “That would be in about six hours.”

Taking Syx’s hand and rising to his feet, Vapre stretched his arms over his head, arching his back and trying to work out the kinks of his sore muscles. “Yeah, I guess we need to get a couple of rooms ready for whoever the guys are bringing home with them.” Placing his hands on his hips, he stared down at the floor and frowned. “How many more do you think will come before the war? We’re running out of rooms.”

Syx shrugged and led the way over to the staircase. “We’ll have to start doubling up, I guess. We can room the three newcomers together, and another room for Syn and Jinx. That only leaves three open rooms. It’s a big house, but it still has its limits.”

“Why do you suppose all the people that keep showing up here are men?” Vapre followed Syx up the stairs as they went to begin preparing rooms. “Doesn’t that seem strange to you?”

“Hmm.” Syx’s head tilted to the side, but he didn’t pause until he reached the upstairs landing. “That’s a good question. Maybe we can ask Echo about it later. He might have some insight about why all the residents from the lab are men.”

“What about the vamps?”

Syx sighed and turned, reaching up to cup the side of Vapre’s neck. “I don’t have all the answers, babe. I’m sure we’ll find out in time.”

Vapre melted at the endearment, the longing in Syx’s eyes, and the gentle squeeze of his fingers. “Okay,” he whispered. “Okay.”

Chapter Four

Echo was crunching over the frozen grass in the backyard, pacing and having himself a good pity party, when the wind carried the sound of tires crunching over the gravel drive to him. Snapping his head up, his heart hammered against his ribs, and his hands and knees began to shake.

“Eyce!” He screamed, sprinting around the side of the house, just as the two SUVs came to a stop in front of it. “Hex! Myst!” Echo kept running, never slowing or pausing as the doors of the SUV flew open and his men began to climb down from the vehicles. “Onyx!”

Fiero was the first one out, and he stood tall with his legs spread wide as if he knew what was coming. Echo launched himself into his mate’s arms, winding around him like a serpent as he peppered kisses across the demon’s face. “Fiero,” he breathed.

His men were home, they were safe, and Echo had never felt more relieved in his life. Something about being separated from them made him tense and anxious. They should definitely stick together from now on.

“Hey, baby.” Fiero chuckled, giving Echo a crushing hug. “Missed you.”

“Mmm,” Echo hummed in agreement.

Someone cleared their throat, and Echo lifted his head to find Hex looking at him expectantly. He squirmed in Fiero’s hold, and the warrior set him on his feet at once. In two long strides, Echo plastered himself against Hex, squeezing the life from the man as he buried his face in Hex’s shirt. “Welcome home,” he whispered.

He turned to Eyce next, then Myst, greeting his men and welcoming them home as properly as he could in polite company. “Onyx!” He beamed at the man as he rushed into his arms. “Hey, big guy. Did you bring me something back?”

Onyx snorted, holding Echo gently, as though he would shatter. “We were kind of distracted, but how about I take you shopping tomorrow? You can pick whatever you want.”

“Can we go to that naughty store I heard Fiero talking about the other day?”

“Have you been naughty?” Onyx asked in a thick whisper, his hands drifting down Echo’s back to squeeze his wiggling ass. “Do you need to be punished?”

“Oh, yes.” Echo adopted a contrite grimace and nodded pathetically. “I was really, really bad.”

Onyx claimed Echo’s lips, licking at the inside of his mouth as soft growls permeated the air around them. “Whatever you want,” Onyx repeated against Echo’s jaw long minutes later.

“Inside,” Hex said, and his voice sounded none too steady, Echo was pleased to note.

It made him smile as he scanned the group for the newcomers. “Nine—” Echo started to say but stopped. “We need to find you names.” He hugged each of his fellow ex-captives in turn then gestured for them to follow him inside the house.

“Oh, we’ve already given them names.” The tone of Fiero’s voice told Echo he would probably have to revise the names the demon had chosen. “Do they ever shut up?” he grumbled.

Glancing over his shoulder, Echo sighed as the trio—he didn’t even recognize one of them—chattered away excitedly, their eyes wide and round as they took in their surroundings. “I’d guess not,” he muttered. Though he had a feeling he’d regret it, Echo had to know. “So what did you name them?”

“Well, the little one over there with the strawberry blond hair and green eyes, we decided to call Sage. He doesn’t talk as much as the others, and he’s damn clever.”

Echo was about to ask what Fiero meant by that, but his mate continued before he could speak. “The one with the blond hair and blue eyes that never shuts up squeals loud enough to burst your eardrums, we’ve been calling him Jet. I swear he talks as fast as one can fly, and just as damn noisy. Then the tall, lanky blond that is just as obnoxious, we call him Pax because his personality packs quite the punch.”

Echo stopped just inside the foyer and looked up at Fiero in astonishment. Those were actually decent names. He’d never have expected it.

“What?” Fiero demanded, crossing his arms over the impressive expanse of his chest. “Did you honestly think I’d name them fuckface, shithead, and asshole?”

“I wouldn’t have been surprised,” Echo answered honestly.

Fiero blinked at him a couple of times before he doubled over in laughter, bracing himself against the wall as he wrapped his arms around his midsection and howled. “You really…you thought…your face,” he gasped through his mirth.

“We like our names,” Jet spoke up, defending Fiero. Judging by the look in his eyes as he stared at the demon, the little man had quite the hero worship going on. Echo decided to nip that in the bud straight away.

“You’re welcome here for as long as you want, but understand this.” Echo stepped closer to Jet, crowding the man’s personal space. “These guys,” he waved a hand around the loosely packed circle to include each of his lovers, “belong to me, and I don’t share. I can’t stop you or even blame you for looking, but try touching, and I will end you. Got it?”

Jet swallowed hard enough to make his Adam’s apple bob along his slender throat then nodded quickly. “Got it,” he croaked.

“Good,” Echo replied flatly. He stared at Jet for another minute then smiled, relaxing his defensive posture, and jerked his head in the direction of the kitchen. “Let’s get you fed.”

Syx and Vapre emerged from the kitchen, meeting the group in the middle of the living room. They welcomed their men home, maybe less enthusiastically than Echo had, but still with a great deal of warmth and relief.